1 1/4" or 1 1/2" Horseshoe pickup in the Rickenbacker B6?

Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

Need help to understand whether the pickup in this guitar is 1 1/2" or 1 1/4" horseshoe pickup. The flange over the pickup measures about 1 1/2" but as far I can tell the pickup itself measured from saddle to nut side, measures about 1 1/4"

I was under the impression that all Rickenbacker B6 lap steels with the small logo on the headtstock spelled with an "H" and strings through the body had the 1 1/2" pickup.

I've also taken a photo of the serial number. '

Can anyone help me with the question about the pickup as well as the year this guitar was built?

Nathan Laudenbach · From: Montana

The "flange" over the pickup is the horse shoe magnet, thus part of the pickup. That's what you measure. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

That's definitely the 1.5" magnet. The 1.25" pickups were attached to the bodies using a chrome surround:

John Dahms · From: Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA

The C2493 serial # is one of the higher number prewar model B guitars. I have C3714 and that is the highest I have recorded.
These later prewar guitars are very good and to my ears even sound better than the nickel cover plate ones I have owned. Enjoy.
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Loren Tilley · From: Maui, Hawaii

The original post is definitely 1.5". That version of the B6 is actually my favorite. Has the bigger pickup, string-through body, a tone knob on the same side as volume, and input jack away from player. To me that's the best of all the B6 features in one guitar. The only thing I would wish different is that I love the look of the chrome plates, but haven't seen too many that have all those other features and chrome plates.

Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

Thanks for the info. This particular guitar was listed as being built in 1939. Is there any way to confirm that?

Denny Turner · From: Oahu, Hawaii USA

Rob,

To "best guess" the year a Rick Bakelite steel was made, requires bracketing the earliest and latest years certain features began and certain features ended. I've listed those features and years below.

PLEASE NOTE: I made 2 mistakes in my original posting here. I have corrected them in the info flow further below. I originally said that 'B' models first appeared in 1933, but they began in 1934. I also mis-stated the years the 2 different 'T' logos began. I first stated 1944 and 1945, but they appeared in 1945 & 1946.

I feel quite sure your B6 was made in early 1940 (assuming the identifying parts are original to the steel ...and I believe they are).

Some Ric bakelite steels slang:
"Pre-war" = 1934 through 1939.
"War-time" = 1940 through 1944.
"Post-war" = 1945 and thereafter.

YEARS AND FEATURES:

I've put ">>>" next to the features that identify the bracket and thus zeroing-in the year yours was likely manufactured:

PRE-WAR; (1934 through 1939):

-- Chromed body plates until 1940.
-- 1934: for an amount of time unknown to me, the pickup mounting ear-tabs had no patent info stamped in; But a short time later "Pat. Pending" was stamped into the ear-tabs.
>>> August 1937: a patent number began being stamped into the ear-tabs.
-- One volume knob on treble bout plate until sometime in 1937.
-- One tone knob was added on Bass bout plate mid-1937 to 1939.
-- 90 degree-ish body edges (Some Fo-Bros have reported some body edges slightly filed at approx. 45 degree angle), until 1940.
>>> 1 1/2" wide magnets until 1945.
>>> Strings through body until 1945.
>>> Thinner under-side neck spars until 1940. (Some thinner necks were used in 1940 until they ran out).
>>> No white outlined frets until 1940.
>>> Small logo plate on headstock until 1945.

WAR-TIME; (1940 through 1944):

-- 1940: the previous neck with thinner neck spars (thinner neck) was replaced by thicker neck spars (thicker neck).
>>> (Some thinner necks appeared on some early 1940 steels).
>>> 1940: white body plates began. Most were white painted metal while some were white (celluloid?) plastic. ( Chromed body plates have appeared on some "war-time" Rics).
>>> 1940: white outlined frets began.
>>> 1940: both Vol & Tone knobs on treble bout plate began.
>>> 1940: frets outlined with white paint began. I have seen thinner necks with white outlined frets on early 1940 Rics. My favorite personal steel (early 1940) has thinner neck with white outlined frets.
>>> 1940: the input jack was moved from players side to audience side.
>>> 1940: the body mold was changed to produce rounded body edges.

Note: When new features were indtroduced into a particular year model, it was common that some previous-model parts were left over and used on steels made early in the next year the new part was "supposed to" be used; For instance, I've seen some thinner necks on Rics made in early 1940 when thicker necks were "supposed to" be normal starting in 1940, ...and my favorite personal steel is early 1940 and has the thinner neck, and even it's frets are outlined in white which began in 1940; ...and I've seen quite a few T-shaped headstock logo plates with RickenbacHer spelling on early 1946 steels, when, officially, RickenbacKer spelling T-logo plates were "supposed to" have begun at the beginning of 1946.

"POST WAR"; (1945 and thereafter):

-- 1945: 1 1/4" pickup magnets began;
-- 1 1/4" pickup mounted in a chromed bezel that surrounds the pickup magnets and is screwed to the body.
-- (The 1 1/4" pickup is recognized / said to be the beginning of the Post War era for Ric bakelites).
-- Bridge no longer molded into the body; They're screwed onto the body.
-- Strings no longer go through the body; Their ball-ends are secured into a chromed tailpiece attached to the rear butt of the body similar to jazz guitars, dobros, banjos, mandolins, etc.
-- 1945: 'T' shaped headstock logo plate introduced, with RickenbacHer spelling.
-- 1946: 'T' shaped headstock logo plate with RickenbacKer spelling began. Some 'T' logo plates with RickenbacHer spelling occured in early 1946 until those surplus previous 'T' logo plates ran out several weeks into 1946.

-- 1950s saw the headstock logo change to an arrow-head shape with RICKENBACKER (in caps) spelled within it's borders.
-- The BD model (D = Deluxe) had a hinged "ashtray" lid over the strings side of the headstock.
-- For a short while towards the end of Rics bakelite steels manufacture, Ric reverted back to strings through the body. Rickenbacker bakelites marketing ended ca. 1961; Rumored to be when factory previous NOS surplus ran out.

-------

I hope this helps.
.
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Denny T~
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John Dahms · From: Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA

1940ish sounds good to me, just remember that any Ric is better than most other steels and you're on board.
_________________
Time flies like an eagle
Fruit flies like a banana.

Denny Turner · From: Oahu, Hawaii USA

Lee Holliday · From: United Kingdom

horseshoe width measured in the direction of Tail/bridge to nut.

Looks 1.5 to me

Lee

Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

Thanks so much! I appreciate it!

Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

Thanks for all the great info everybody.

I have a general question. It has been about 80 years since these prewar bakelite steels were made. Do most of them need their PU magnets re-magnitized by now?
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

Denny Turner · From: Oahu, Hawaii USA

PLEASE NOTE: I made 2 mistakes in my original timeline posting further above. I have corrected them in that info flow. I originally said that 'B' models first appeared in 1933, but they began in 1934. I also mis-stated the years the 2 different 'T' logos began; I first stated 1944 and 1945, but they appeared in 1945 & 1946.
_________________
Aloha,
Denny T~
http://www.dennysguitars.com/

Please help support humanity:
http://www.redcross.org/en/aboutus

George Macdonald · From: Vancouver Island BC Canada

Here are a couple of pics of my Ricks. The older one with the blue panels appears to be original painted celluloid panels. I have owned both of them since the early 70s. I did replace the tuners on the blue one with vintage style tuners from Stew Mac. When I got it, one of the tuners had been replaced with a closed gear tuner.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

I've worked on a lot of bakelites, both pre-war & post -war. To be honest, I couldn't tell any better tone from the bigger magnets to the smaller magnets.
I did notice differences between guitars of the same vintage though. Some are just better than others it seems.. Kinda hard to figure out why !!

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